November 10, 2005

REPORT TO THE BOARD:
CHAMBER ACTIVITIES SINCE NOVEMBER 2004

This report contains a capsule summary of major Chamber activities in the past year. A bullet indicates a program that was initiated or expanded during 2005.

1. IN-HOUSE DEVELOPMENT

* Hired Teresa Arnold as the Program Manager.

* Merged with the Rockport Chamber of Commerce

Developed a $475,000 operating budget, complemented by Division accounts in excess of $150,000.

Coordinated the sale of 500 tickets to the $25,000 Game.

Coordinated the sale of 300 tickets to the Irish Sweepstakes.

Organized the eighteenth Goods and Services Auction, accumulating the incredible amount of $165,000 in donations.

* Organized the first Art Preview to showcase paintings, prints, and photographs donated to the auction.

Maintained and promoted the Chamber web site, www.capeannchamber.com, with hits continuing to increase in its fourth year.

Sponsored a retreat for the Board of Directors.

Coordinated the sixteenth Chamber Golf Tournament.

Held 11 regular Board meetings plus a special session in December to review the proposed budget for 2005.

Held the Chamber's Annual Dinner-Dance at The Tavern on the Harbor, featuring the induction of Jonathan Lawrence as President.

Coordinated an orientation session for new members of the Board of Directors.

Maintained active memberships in the Massachusetts Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, the Massachusetts Association of Membership Development, the New England Chamber of Commerce Executives, the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, and the United States Chamber of Commerce.

Organized drink concession booths and a lobster bake at the Waterfront Festival to boost non-dues income.

Used electronic means to distribute information to Chamber members, i.e., transmissions via facsimile and email instead of U.S. Post Office.

Utilized postcards for meeting notices instead of letters, saving $.14 per notice being mailed.

Continued to display the work of area artists in the lobby.

* Held a sexual harassment training session for the staff.

* Developed an Employee Handbook.

* Purchased a new fax machine for the front office and new furniture for the Program Manager's office.

* Updated hardware and software and purchased two Microsoft XP Operating System licenses, Norton Antivirus 2005, Ad-Aware Spyware, Office 2003, and a new backup drive.

2. ROCKPORT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

* Coordinated the work of the transition team negotiating the details of the proposed merger of the Rockport Chamber of Commerce (RCOC) with the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce (CACOC).

* Held membership meetings to discuss the merger and to vote on its acceptance.

* Established a Nominating Committee to present a slate of Directors for the new RCOC Board, and held a membership meeting at Brackett's at which the slate was approved.

* Produced a new Rockport map and guide.

* Produced several other publications, including the tenth edition of the Rockport Walking Guide (increasing participation to 84 listings) and a flyer encouraging use of the park and ride facility.

* Provided support to the Board of Directors in establishing working committees-finance, retail, building, auction, and planning.

* Hired Peter Webber as Rockport Manager and Zohreh King as Secretary/Administrative Assistant.

* Renovated the Rockport information booth prior to the spring opening.

* Updated www.RockportUSA.com and maintained site.

* Entered into discussions with the Board of the Old Firehouse Trust and Selectmen regarding possible use of space and collaboration on historical/visitors center issues.

* Improved signage in several areas-bathroom directions, Barletta Park shed, new Rockport inns map at the booth, and state sign just before the booth entrance.

* Worked with the Rockport Rotary Club to upgrade the signs on the Gloucester/Rockport line and at the entrance to Bearskin Neck.

* Involved in the successful campaign to allow alcohol sales in restaurants.

* Painted benches throughout downtown Rockport.

* Met regularly with the Rockport Innkeepers group.

* Hired seasonal personnel for the booth and maintained a schedule from Memorial Day through October 16 (Harvest Festival weekend).

* Maintained Barletta Park information shed with assistance of volunteers.

* Relocated the office from the Lantana House on Broadway to the Whistlestop Mall.

* Developed monthly financial statements for the Board and created a budget for the July-December period.

* Organized Rockport Auction, attended by 150 patrons and generating net proceeds of $25,000.

* Produced the first Rockport Harvest Festival with the support of close to 100 businesses.

* Met with Senator Tarr regarding possible funding for a new Chamber Visitors' Center, and generated initial design for the building.

* Conducted regular, well attended meetings of the Retail Committee, dealing with infrastructure issues and promotions and hearing from DPW Director Tomasz, Police Chief McCarthy, and CATA Manager Ryan.

3. MEMBERSHIP ACTIVITIES

* Organized bi-annual Membership Drive, resulting in the recruitment of 130 new members, which brings total Chamber membership on 11/10/05 to 1,300.

Coordinated seven Evening Business Exchanges at North Shore Music Theatre, Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center, Seaport Condominiums, Duckworth's Bistrot, Cape Ann Savings Bank, Station Place, and Gordon College.

Coordinated four Breakfast Clubs.

Produced the newsletter on a periodic basis, highlighting stories about the region and Chamber members. Advertising in the newsletter continues to be strong.

Sponsored two seminars for the general membership including: Activating Your Entrepreneurial Spirit and an Introduction to QuickBooks. Sponsored two seminars for tradespeople: Developing a Business Plan and Utilizing Credit Cards.

Produced four Cape Ann Chamber Businesswomen's programs, including the popular Women of Cape Ann program, the Holiday Wine-Down, a Fashion Show as part of the Spring Fling, and a joint-program "The Magic Closet" with Cape Ann Business Incubator. A fifth program-the sunset cruise aboard the Schooner Thomas E. Lannon-was cancelled due to weather.

* Developed Businesswomen's logo.

Produced a weekly membership email update allowing members to submit a short paragraph on their business to be shared with over 1,000 recipients using email.

Offered a regular counseling program for small businesses.

Sponsored four receptions/orientations for new members.

The Contractors' Division continued to serve the needs of members in the trades, sponsoring two mixers and two seminars.

Developed a guide to hiring a contractor-a reference piece for homeowners and business people.

Offered six health insurance programs, a dental program and a disability insurance program for the membership.

Organized Christmas parties in Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, and Manchester.

Maintained and increased links to the Membership Directory on the Chamber's website, offering an online presence to each Chamber member for free.

Offered a Manchester Athletic Club discount program.

Offered an expanded advertising package to new members.

Maintained an Ambassadors Program to reach out to members. Ambassadors held monthly meetings and made over 70 contacts.

* Recognized Ambassador of the Year Scott Williams.

Produced a new Chamber Membership Directory.

Continued regular meetings of the Cape Ann Holistic Health Group.

* Organized Cape Ann Holistic Health Group Mixer at North Shore Music Theatre.

4. RETAIL

* Advocated for the completion of Phase IV of the reconstruction of Gloucester's East End, resulting in the addition of period lighting, new sidewalks, trees, the reconfiguration of Flannagan Square, and the repaving of Main Street.

Coordinated Sidewalk Bazaars in Gloucester and Manchester.

Assisted the City of Gloucester in promoting and administering the Downtown Facade Improvement Program.

Organized Christmas programs in Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, and Essex.

Generated $295,000 worth of local sales with the Gloucester Gift Certificate program since it's inception. Developed a new graphic look for the program, utilizing the services of Stacey Design, and produced new checks, gift envelopes, tent cards, bag stuffers, and posters. Increased promotion of the program via advertising in the Gloucester Daily Times. Increased the number of participants to 105.

Maintained the downtown banner program with the City of Gloucester.

* Purchased lobster buoys to use as additional holiday decorations on Gloucester's Main Street.

* Organized a meeting between Gloucester retailers and City officials at La Trattoria.

Held regular meetings with Gloucester City officials to discuss downtown issues.

Planned the fifth annual Gloucester Holiday Homecoming and built a lobster trap tree in downtown Gloucester.

* Updated the Welcome to Manchester package for new homeowners, including coupons from 20 businesses.

Planned the second annual "Gloucester Shop and Dine" promotion.

Organized the Christmas Club coupon program for all Cape Ann retailers.

Developed retail promotions in all four communities throughout the year.

Continued discussion with the Selectmen and the Police Chief in Manchester regarding parking concerns and enforcement in the downtown area.

Coordinated the City of Gloucester-Chamber Joint Parking Committee, meeting regularly to review the parking situation in the downtown area and discuss areas for parking management improvements. The group's recommendation to open the lot at the corner of Duncan and Rogers Streets to the public and move court and police vehicles to designated spaces in the Fitz Hugh Lane lot was approved by City Council. This is phase one of a project that recommends adding a second level of parking to the Duncan/Rogers Street lot. Stickers indicating the maximum time allowed at each meter were purchased by Howard Frisch and applied to all the meters in Gloucester.

* Held meetings and provided input to the Manchester Board of Selectmen on proposals on the downtown improvements project.

Attended meetings of the Gloucester Downtown Development Commission.

Continued to meet with City of Gloucester representatives in order to implement Gloucester Plan 2001.

5. TOURISM

Maintained space at the 128 North Visitor Center in Beverly, at which the Chamber distributed brochures for 46 tourist-related members in an A-frame brochure rack.

Maintained the Rockport Innkeeper on Call Program with 45 accommodations participating to assist visitors in finding a place to stay after the Chamber office and visitor centers are closed.

Distributed a listing of weekend events via email called This Weekend on Cape Ann.

Redesigned, published, and distributed 250,000 Cape Ann Visitor Guides.

Produced a new edition of the popular Essex map

Maintained an 800-information line and e-mail address for visitor inquiries.

Coordinated a $28,000 advertising campaign to promote Cape Ann.

* Launched the re-design of www.CapeAnnVacations.com, the new travel website designed by The Van Ness Group, with a new menu system, a business directory with search features, a press room, beautiful photography, and an updated database for member information.

* Implemented an internet marketing campaign managed by The Van Ness Group, resulting in a 93% increase in web traffic to the site and a higher page ranking with internet search engines.

Received $6,500 in advertising grants from the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Coordinated regional cooperative advertising program in a spring preprint insert, which goes into 20 major newspapers in New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Coordinated regional cooperative advertising program in Yankee Magazine's Travel Guide to New England.

Coordinated regional cooperative advertising program in Massachusetts Getaway Guide..

Expanded office hours to seven days a week from May through October to accommodate visitors on a daily basis.

Coordinated the Gloucester Schooner Festival, the Gloucester Waterfront Festival, and the Essex ClamFest.

Sponsored the Essex Music Festival.

Attended meetings of the Gloucester Tourism Commission.

Hosted the 21st Annual Travel Writers' Weekend, with the kick-off at a Tourist Mixer at Gloucester Stage Company.

Supported the programs of the North of Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.

Displayed a Cape Ann tourist poster (with cooperative advertisers) at the Mansfield Information Booth, and funded posters at three other sites on the Mass Pike.

Utilized the services of Jordan Bragg and Kristian Hoysradt for tourism-based projects during the summer.

Maintained a list of tourist inquiries for a direct mail program.

Operated the Harbor Loop Information Booth for the fifth year, servicing close to 15,000 visitors.

Supported the Essex National Heritage Area commission, with Executive Director Michael Costello serving as a Trustee.

Sponsored two Gallery Strolls in Rockport, the first as part of the Christmas program and the second in conjunction with Motif #1 Day.

Promoted the sale of the Cape Ann street map, featuring the four communities on one side and the State on the other.

Sara Young joined the Boards of Directors for both the North of Boston CVB and Society for the Encouragement of the Arts (SeArts)

Partnered with the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in their application for a $150,000 Boston Foundation Grant to support Cultural Economic Development on Cape Ann.

6. INDUSTRIAL

Met with key Gloucester officials on issues of importance to industry.

Helped to organize a Gloucester presence at the Boston Seafood Show.

Coordinated the publication of the Gloucester Seafood Directory.

Organized the twentieth annual New Fish Festival, promoting greater awareness of the diversity of fish species.

Testified against Gloucester's proposed water and sewer rate increases, citing the negative impact on business.

Organized meetings with Massachusetts Electric officials to focus on region's energy needs and recent problems with utility services.

7. GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS

Met with Mayor Bell on a regular basis to review key City issues.

* Organized meetings with community re: Combined Sewer Outfall (CSO) project

* Appointed to the Mayor's CSO Advisory Committee

* Formed a Chamber CSO Steering Committee comprised of businesses from Washington Street and other areas of downtown that will be affected by the project.

* Sponsored a Mayoral Debate Breakfast Club with incumbent John Bell and challenger Jeff Worthley.

Organized the campaign against tax classification for the 24th consecutive year.

Worked with government officials and police departments on parking issues in Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester, and Essex.

Coordinated the Cape Ann Caucus, bringing the area's public officials and business leaders together to discuss the housing crisis, MBTA station improvements in Gloucester and Rockport, regional planning initiatives, water and sewer issues, proposed LNG projects off the Cape Ann coast, and the future of Addison Gilbert Hospital.

Continued work with business and civic leaders from Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, Manchester, and Ipswich on Economic Target Area issues.

Sponsored numerous discussions with Essex officials regarding the sewer construction and Route 133 improvement projects.

* Worked with the Gloucester City Council and the Building Inspector on new fees for building permits.

* Presented Manchester merchants' concerns regarding DIP Committee proposals for downtown improvements.

Attended Harbor Plan Implementation Committee meetings.

Sponsored candidate debates in Rockport, Manchester, and Essex.

* Opposed Gloucester City Clerk's efforts to raise money by imposing vendors' fees and licensing fees-and prevailed.

* Testified on several occasions on Gloucester's new drive-through ordinance.

* Testified on Gloucester pilings ordinance and helped reach compromise proposal.

Supported City efforts to dredge the inner harbor and Annisquam River and opposed Board of Health proposals to exercise greater control over dredging.

* Joined with the City and MBTA officials in celebrating the completion of station improvements in the Railroad Avenue area and the work of private developers on the Station Place project.

Helped to lead campaign to allow alcohol in Rockport restaurants, and made a financial contribution to the ABC Committee.

8. COMMUNITY/PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Recognized the achievements of four business people during Small Business Week.

Organized an Easter Egg Hunt for the children of Rockport.

Supported the Gloucester Pride Stride and St. Peter's Fiesta.

Maintained a community calendar of events to prevent scheduling conflicts and provided holiday information to the media detailing what's open and closed.

Organized a wide variety of ongoing community activities, such as the Essex ClamFest, the Schooner Festival, the Sidewalk Bazaars, and the Waterfront Festival.

Supported the Gloucester Fireworks Fund.

Served on the Cape Ann Health Care Task Force.

Sponsored a visit to Manchester by the Walker Brothers Circus.

* Provided a donation to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort under the auspices of the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives.

9. EDUCATION

Continued the work of the Business/Education Collaborative.

Increased support for the Collaborative and participation from the three Cape Ann public school systems, the community college, and the vocational school.

Continued to work with the Business Department at GHS regarding their participation in the DECA Marketing Program.

Sponsored the annual Focus on Education Breakfast, featuring remarks from the new Superintendents from Cape Ann's three school districts.

Awarded three Chamber scholarships of $1,000 each to area graduating seniors.

Awarded the Sylvester "Red" Deering Scholarship of $1,000 to a graduating Senior from Gloucester High School.

* Awarded the first annual scholarship in honor of Patricia Roy-the first woman President of the Chamber-to a graduating female pursuing a career in business.

Assisted with the "Taste of Essex" reception in support of the Woodman Scholarship Fund.

* Worked on a new internship program to offer students the opportunity to expand on their classroom knowledge by gaining firsthand experience in the workplace.

* Worked with the North Shore Workforce Investment Board and the North Shore Career Center on "FirstJobs", a teen summer employment program.

* Co-sponsored a Business Plan Competition with the Enterprise Center at Salem State and ten other North Shore business organizations.

Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce
33 Commercial Street, Gloucester, MA 01930
978-283-1601 ~ info@capeannchamber.com ~ Fax: 978-283-4740